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GenomeDx Biosciences recently announced the publication of a positive validation study for a genomic test for prostate cancer. It showed that patients with low genomic risk may be optimally managed with observation after radical prostatectomy, while those with high genomic risk may be better managed earlier with adjuvant radiotherapy.

Only 65 percent of women are getting the recommended postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). Since 2000, the National Cancer Institute and the American Society of Clinical Oncology have recommended PMRT, in addition to chemotherapy, for most breast cancer patients who opt for breast removal and have a high risk of tumor recurrence.

At their core, trauma systems are developed to achieve care that is optimal for injured patients. The problem is that some areas are now seeing a perceived oversupply of trauma centers because the provision of trauma care can, in some instances, become highly profitable.

To those unfamiliar with healthcare policy debates, the finding might seem predictable. But in recent years some frequently cited studies have suggested that higher spending levels do not necessarily produce better levels of care. This study supports the notion of higher costs equating to better care.

February 6, 2015 10:34 am |
by University of Michigan Health System |
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Hospitals and doctors see how their overall performance stacks up against others, but this quality reporting, a recent report found, is not enough to accelerate the pace of improvement in surgical safety - nor cost savings. However, that doesn't mean such efforts should stop, or aren't worthwhile, it adds.

"This study shows just how successful small investments can be at raising the quality of care for patients. I think in five years this will be the standard way that we are managing patients, because the results are so dramatic.”

Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch resulted in more weight loss and better improvement in blood lipids and glucose when compared with usual gastric bypass surgery, but duodenal switch was also associated with more long-term surgical and nutritional complications, according to a recent report.

“Solid market growth here is largely driven by demographics. The majority of knee arthroplasty patients are aged 60 and above, and usually require a total knee replacement. By this stage, it is more likely that the entire knee is suffering from arthritis.”

"For most patients with diabetes and a BMI greater than 35, bariatric surgery increases life expectancy. However, the benefit of surgery decreases as BMI increases. The patients with a BMI over 62 likely don't gain any life expectancy with surgery."

Researchers are leading a new multi-center clinical trial to evaluate a unique surgical method, known as targeted muscle reinnervation, to treat chronic pain that can result from limb amputation. Amputees develop chronic pain in the remaining portion of their amputated limb, which can include phantom limb syndrome, and prevents many patients from using prostheses.

Republican lawmakers eager to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul are touting tax credits and greater leeway for states and health insurers. Enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act is a growing political liability for Republicans as an estimated 19 million Americans will receive coverage as a result of the law, including many in GOP-dominated states.

The development of a flexible, microscopic hand-like gripper could help doctors perform remotely-guided surgical procedures, perform biopsies or create biodegradable, miniaturized surgical tools that could safely dissolve in the body.

Research shows that cryoablation can be an effective treatment alternative for multiple cancer types. By itself, the technique can destroy tumors from the inside out. When combined with a pair of recently approved drugs, cryoablation can help stimulate the body's own immune response to seek out and destroy remaining cancer cells and prevent tumor regrowth.

The authors suggest that a surgical outcomes reporting system does not provide a clear mechanism for quality improvement. The inability of these outcomes monitoring systems to produce measurable improvements may be related to difficulties in identifying mechanisms that translate changes in how surgical care is provided.

President Obama spoke from the White House Roosevelt Room, surrounded at a conference table by 10 Americans from across the country who wrote him letters about how they benefited from the Affordable Care Act.